I'll Never Stop Protecting You
by ekp95m
Summary: AU::Seth is the victim. He is small and doesn't have many friends. Jake vows to always be there to protect him, but what happens when he's not?


**This is a piece I wrote for Emmett and Edward, but quickly changed it to a Narnia piece with Peter and Edmund, then to a Twilight piece with Emmett and Jasper. I think I have made up my mind, though. It's alternate universe, of course. I'd put Seth at eleven and Jacob at 13. It may be a little off with the ages, but it is my story. They are at a boarding school, too. Please let me know how it is. I am trying a new tone. Hopefully it seems a little more quirky. :]**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. It is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I'm just a silly little girl who gets away with lying. But it's all for a good cause: My entertainment!**

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I'll Never Stop Protecting You

Dirt tastes absolutely terrible. My face is being shoved into the ground by the meaty paw of the meaty boy above me. Why? I'm not entirely sure. This boy never fails to track me down and seems finds the utmost entertainment in my suffering. Perhaps it has something to do with my family. Perhaps it is because I am smarter than him. Perhaps it is all related to the fact that my room mate is always sheltering me from the smallest of dangers. Perhaps it has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that I am an easy target. How am I to know? I'm the victim here.

"What are you going to do now that your room mate isn't here to save your scrawny little butt, huh, Clearwater?" Terrance taunted me.

I had no idea where Jacob was. It wasn't my job to keep track of him. Although, it sure would be nice of him to appear, like he always seemed to do, and lend a hand. Rather, it would be nice for anyone to step up and lend a hand. Students walked past me like I was nothing. They didn't even bother to glance at me. Really, I didn't expect them to do anything. But that doesn't stop me from hoping.

"What is wrong with you?" the chunky boy shouted at me when I became unresponsive to his meaningless taunts. He slammed his fist into the back of my skull and the world spun around me. I laid my head on the grass below me. Why was this happening?

Fishing around in his pockets, Terrance pulled out a small pocket knife. "How 'bout a haircut, pretty boy?" he threatened in a low and dangerous tone that would have been scary if his voice hadn't cracked half-way through the statement.

Tangling his grimy fingers into my hair, the boy sat on top of me and readied his knife. With one clean sweep, my coffee-colored locks rained down in front of my eyes. But it was just hair. It would grow back.

Terrance dragged me to my feet and thrust me into the tree I had been sitting under only moments ago. His hands wrapped around my wrists and pinned them to my back. The boy pushed me into the bark of the tree. He was absolutely relentless.

Silence had become my new best friend. When I didn't say anything, Terrance would become frustrated and back off a bit.

"Are you deaf?" Terrance yelled in my ear, anger consuming his tone.

Or he may just get angrier.

The stout child released my wrists momentarily, taking steps back before crushing one of them beneath his filthy boot. Oh, how it hurt. I cried out in pain, but no one even looked at me. Terrance kept digging his foot into one of my hands until he heard the snap that indicated a solid break.

I screamed like I never have before. The blinding sensation burst through me, drenching every inch of my body in a numbing stupor. I crumpled to the ground, tears falling from my eyes and turning the dirt into mud.

Terrance began to panic. His grubby fingers raked across my face and gagged me. When that didn't work, he released me and waddled away as quickly as his portly legs would allow.

Shriveling up into a small ball, I wept. I cradled my wrist on my lap. It rocked to one side, bending back and forth in a sickening fashion.

How could one boy be so cruel? I couldn't understand it. Did I deserve this? I must've done something wrong to deserve this.

It seemed like an eternity before I was able to get up. The sun was sinking over the top of the trees and the streets were empty. I crawled back to my dorm. The light was on, I could see it beneath the door, and loud music thundered from inside. Jake was home.

I composed myself as best as I could and turned the knob. Jake flew out of his chair to greet me, but stopped in his tracks.

"Where were you?" I asked quietly. I was tired of fighting. Terrance wouldn't stop just because I asked him to, or threatened him with my room mate. No. I was the victim and he was the bully. That's it. I was being bullied. The thought didn't seem to fit together in my head.

Jacob stared wide-eyed at me. "I-I…What happened, Seth?"

"Terrance got a little carried away." I forced myself to take each step as I headed for the bathroom. There was no escape from the wrath of my peers. This would happen again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

"Him again? Come on, we can't let this go on any longer. We need to do something."

"_We_ don't need to do anything. I can handle this, Jake," I declared firmly.

"Either way, I need to get you bandaged up. Come here," Jake said gently. He was lucky. Jacob had lots of friends. I didn't have any. All I had to keep me occupied was my violin and a violin can't help you in a fight.

I complied with his request and followed him into the bathroom. Tenderly lifting my wrist up so he could examine it, he said, "It's definitely broken. I can wrap it up for now, but you'll have to go to the doctor soon."

"I'm not going to the doctor. I can handle this."

"Oh, yes. I can see how well you handled it today." Jake held up my wrist for me to see. I knew that he was worried for me, but I was used to this. I was small for my age and hated to fight. I believe that fighting is unnecessary. It is much simpler to work things out through diplomacy and words. But that method doesn't seem to be working on Terrance.

"Seth, I hate to see this happen to you. Believe me, it won't happen again." His hand petted my head and sighed when he saw the damage done to my hair. "I'll protect you, kid."

I smiled up at him. Jake always knew just what to say. He wound a thin, white strip around my wrist several times and handed me a pill for the pain.

"Keep your head held high, Seth. You'll see. It will all work out for you."

I nodded, but I didn't believe him. He could do a lot, but he couldn't always be around.

"Sure," I mumbled.

"Hey," Jake scolded me, lifting my chin with his finger. "I'll protect you. That's what big brothers do."

His voice shook with determination. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe tomorrow will be a bit brighter than today. I knew it would be. Jacob was here with me to keep me safe and I would do the same for him. We are brothers and that's what we do.


End file.
